BMD to hold 3 congresses

 

Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) Interim National Organising Secretary Freddie Ramodise says the party’s three elective congresses will go on as planned. 

BMD is expected to conduct three elective congresses next weekend in Lobatse. The congresses are for National Executive Committee (NEC), Women’s League and Youth League. The BMD decided to have all the three elective congresses following Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) decision ordering for the holding of a fresh congress to elect the BDM leadership. BMD was initially expected to hold only the youth league congress next weekend. 

BMD which is currently operating under an interim committee will vote for a substantive leadership following the departure of some of the disgruntled party members who have since formed the Alliance for Progressives (AP). Ramodise told this publication that Branches (Constituencies) are conducting congresses and the last batch is expected to hold their congresses this weekend. He revealed that the only area that seemed to have been problematic was Gaborone.

“In most regions things have been going well since we agreed to heed the UDC call for a fresh congress. The only problem was in Gaborone where we lost most of our members to the new party. What we have been doing is mobilising members and regrouping the structures in Gaborone and so far we are left with two Branches which are Gaborone Bonnington South and Gaborone South. The two would be concluded by this weekend. The good news is that we are even registering new members with satisfying numbers in the Gaborone Region,” said Ramodise.

The national organising secretary said they expect preparation of voters rolls to begin next week Monday. He said a proposal is expected to be put before the interim NEC and National Working Committee to have the NEC congress held before others. “Initially we were to hold the youth league congress followed by the women’s league congress. 

“But a proposal has been made and to be shared with the NEC that the mother-body congress be held first followed by the women’s league then the youth league. With a determined team of BMD members, we believe by Sunday when we leave Lobatse we would have accomplished our mission which is a united and formidable BMD. One of our teams arrived Tuesday from Kgalagadi where mobilisation and congresses in those Branches were conducted. We want to prove to those who believe that the BMD is no more that we are a force to reckon with. We would be putting our house back in order and move forward to work hard with our counterparts in the UDC to ensure UDC takes power in 2019,” Ramodise explained.

UDC had requested that the BMD should hold a fresh congress before the end of January next year to formalise things following its July Bobonong congress which was nullified. According to the UDC leader Duma Boko the deadline set for BMD is to ensure that the party is part of the UDC Constitutional congress and launch slated for February 2018.